Hurricane Sandy costs Somerset County less in expenses than Irene

SOMERVILLE — At least in terms of Somerset County’s finances, Hurricane Sandy has had a much smaller impact than Tropical Storm Irene did last year.

County freeholders signed off Tuesday on $750,000 in emergency expenses related to Sandy, marking a significant drop from the roughly $5.6 million in increased costs resulting from Irene.

"Somerset County got by relatively lightly," said county Treasurer Brian Newman, referring to Sandy’s impact. "The damage that did occur was much more personal property than government property."

Most of the Sandy-related expenses are overtime costs, according to the resolution approved by the freeholders. Those additional costs include overtime by county election workers, sheriff’s officers and public works employees, the resolution shows.

Newman said the county expects to have 75 percent of the Sandy-related costs reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Of the roughly $5.6 million in expenses caused by Irene, about $3.6 million has been reimbursed by FEMA, he said.

The county is still working with FEMA to secure additional reimbursements for the tropical storm-related expenses, Newman said.